Knowledge-based trade-off prediction for NSCLC treatment planning using multi-output regression.

Background: Knowledge-based planning (KBP) is a data-driven approach that utilizes the knowledge from previous high-quality treatment plans to predict dose-volume histogram (DVH) parameters for organs-at-risk (OARs) in new cases. Research has demonstrated that KBP enhances plan quality, minimizes inter-patient and inter-institution variability, and significantly boosts time efficiency. However, current state-of-the-art KBP approaches only generate one set of planning goals for one point on the Pareto optimal surface without considering potential planning trade-offs.

Causal associations and shared genetic etiology between neurodegenerative diseases and constipation.

Background: There is increasing evidence suggesting a correlation between neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) and constipation; however, their genetic relationship and causal mechanisms remain inadequately elucidated.

Objective: We aim to investigate the causal link and shared genetic basis between NDDs and constipation.

Methods: We obtained summary statistics from large-scale genome-wide association studies, encompassing five NDDs, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple sclerosis (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Lewy body dementia (LBD), as well as constipation.

Apoptotic extracellular vesicles derived from human dental pulp stem cells facilitate periodontal tissue regeneration.

Objective: Apoptotic extracellular vesicles (ApoEVs) derived from human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) are subcellular structures released during programmed cell death. These vesicles carry rich biological information and regulatory potential, and have demonstrated significance in regulating cell behavior and tissue repair. Human periodontal ligament stem cells (hPDLSCs) are key to regenerating periodontal tissue, and their osteogenic differentiation ability directly influences the repair and reconstruction of periodontal bone tissue.

METTL3‑mediated m6A methylation and its impact on OTUD1 expression in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by persistent airflow limitation and chronic inflammation, often exacerbated by cigarette smoke exposure. Ovarian tumor protease domain‑containing protein 1 (OTUD1), a deubiquitinase, has previously been identified as a negative regulator of inflammation through its suppression of NF‑κB signaling. The present study explored the role of OTUD1 in COPD and the regulatory effects of N6‑methyladenosine (m6A) methylation on OTUD1 expression.

Cross-sectional survey on dental caries among preschool children in Guangzhou city in 2022.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of deciduous dental caries in preschool children aged 36-71 months as well as the eruption and caries status of permanent teeth in children aged 60-71 months in Guangzhou city, providing references for oral health work.

Design: This study was a cross-sectional study design.

Setting: The study was conducted in 34 kindergartens in the central and non-central urban areas of Guangzhou city.

Transforming the Landscape of Clinical Information Retrieval Using Generative Artificial Intelligence: An Application in Machine Fault Analysis.

In a radiation oncology clinic, machine downtime can be a serious burden to the entire department. This study investigates using increasingly popular generative artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to assist medical physicists in troubleshooting linear accelerator issues. Google's NotebookLM, supplemented with background information on linear accelerator issues/solutions, was used as a machine troubleshooting assistant for this purpose.

Predicting High-Risk Patients with Lung Adenocarcinoma: The Power of Plasma Cell-Related Genes.

Introduction: The incidence of lung cancer remains high worldwide and is still the leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally. The primary reason for this is that the vast majority of patients are diagnosed only when the disease has progressed to an advanced stage or metastasized. Therefore, early diagnosis of lung cancer is crucial.

The role of CISD1 reduction in macrophages in promoting COPD development through M1 polarization and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Background: The mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress imbalance caused by macrophage polarization play a role in the progression of COPD, with CDGSH iron-sulfur domain-containing protein 1 (CISD1) playing a key role. This study revealed the role and mechanism of CISD1 in smoke-induced macrophages.

Methods: Using a pure cigarette smoke exposure-induced COPD mouse model, stimulation of Raw264.

Integrative bioinformatics approach for identifying key genes and potential therapeutic targets in the concurrent manifestation of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and pulmonary hypertension.

Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), identified as a primary cause of sudden cardiac death (SCD), intertwines with pulmonary hypertension (PH) to amplify cardiovascular morbidity. This complex synergy poses significant therapeutic challenges due to the absence of drugs specifically targeting their concurrent manifestation. This study seeks to unravel the molecular intricacies linking HCM and PH, aiming to lay the groundwork for targeted therapeutic interventions.

Association between Periodontitis and Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Introduction: The connection between periodontitis and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) continues to receive attention. However, whether periodontitis is a risk factor for MCI remains still uncertain. This study aims to systematically analyze the available literature regarding the relationship between periodontitis and the risk of developing MCI and whether the periodontal health of MCI patients is poorer.

Apoptotic bodies: bioactive treasure left behind by the dying cells with robust diagnostic and therapeutic application potentials.

Apoptosis, a form of programmed cell death, is essential for growth and tissue homeostasis. Apoptotic bodies (ApoBDs) are a form of extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by dying cells in the last stage of apoptosis and were previously regarded as debris of dead cells. Recent studies unraveled that ApoBDs are not cell debris but the bioactive treasure left behind by the dying cells with an important role in intercellular communications related to human health and various diseases.

Cannabidiol Rescues TNF-α-Inhibited Proliferation, Migration, and Osteogenic/Odontogenic Differentiation of Dental Pulp Stem Cells.

Strategies to promote dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) functions including proliferation, migration, pro-angiogenic effects, and odontogenic/osteogenic differentiation are in urgent need to restore pulpitis-damaged dentin/pulp regeneration and DPSCs-based bone tissue engineering applications. Cannabidiol (CBD), an active component of Cannabis sativa has shown anti-inflammation, chemotactic, anti-microbial, and tissue regenerative potentials. Based on these facts, this study aimed to analyze the effect of CBD on DPSCs proliferation, migration, and osteogenic/odontogenic differentiation in basal and inflammatory conditions.

An automated treatment plan alert system to safeguard cancer treatments in radiation therapy.

In radiation oncology, the intricate process of delivering radiation to a patient is detailed by the patient's treatment plan, which is data describing the geometry, construction and strength of the radiation machine and the radiation beam it emits. The patient's life depends upon the accuracy of the treatment plan, which is left in the hands of the vendor-specific software automatically generating the plan after an initial patient consultation and planning with a medical professional. However, corrupted and erroneous treatment plan data have previously resulted in severe patient harm when errors go undetected and radiation proceeds.

Designing of Highly Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction Electrocatalysts Utilizing A Correlation Factor: Theory and Experiment.

The theoretical prediction of the catalytic activity is very beneficial for the design of highly efficient catalysts. At present, most theoretical descriptors focus on estimating the catalytic activity and understanding the enhancement mechanism of catalysts, while it is also quite important to find a factor to correlate the descriptors with preparation methods. In this work, a correlation factor, the d electron density of transition metal ions, was developed to correlate the d band center values of transition metal ions with the preparation methods of amorphization and Al introduction.

A fully automated on-line salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction capillary electrophoresis methodology: Application to tyrosine kinase inhibitors in human plasma.

A fully automated analytical methodology combining salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction (SALLE) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) for the analysis of three Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) in plasma samples is proposed. The automated methodology, called A-SALLE-CE-UV, makes full use of the advantages of both techniques by combining desalting, protein precipitation, automated liquid-liquid extraction, in-line CE stacking and electrophoretic separation of analytes in plasma samples in a fully integrated way. At first, the capillary is used to deliver appropriate micro-volumes of extraction agent solutions (acetonitrile, salt) in the plasma sample.

The Dosimetric and Temporal Effects of Respiratory-Gated, High-Dose-Rate Radiation Therapy in Patients With Lung Cancer.

Purpose: To evaluate the dosimetric and temporal effects of high-dose-rate respiratory-gated radiation therapy in patients with lung cancer.

Methods: Treatment plans from 5 patients with lung cancer (3 nongated and 2 gated at 80EX-80IN) were retrospectively evaluated. Prescription dose for these patients varied from 8 to 18 Gy/fraction with 3 to 5 treatment fractions.

Design of a compact collimator and 3D imaging system for a scanning beam low-energy intraoperative radiation therapy system for pancreatic cancer.

Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) involves delivering high doses of radiation directly to tumors while sparing healthy tissues in a surgical setting. Current IORT systems are limited in their lack of image guidance and variable needs for shielded operating rooms. They also lack the capability to deliver non-uniform therapeutic radiation to irregular shaped clinical targets.

Development of a radiobiological evaluation tool to assess the expected clinical impacts of contouring accuracy between manual and semi-automated segmentation algorithms.

RADEval is a tool developed to assess the expected clinical impact of contouring accuracy when comparing manual contouring and semi-automated segmentation. The RADEval tool, designed to process large scale datasets, imported a total of 2,760 segmentation datasets, along with a Simultaneous Truth and Performance Level Estimation (STAPLE) to act as ground truth tumor segmentations. Virtual dose-maps were created within RADEval and two different tumor control probability (TCP) values using a Logistic and a Poisson TCP models were calculated in RADEval using each STAPLE and each dose-map.

Impact of temporal probability in 4D dose calculation for lung tumors.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the dosimetric uncertainty in 4D dose calculation using three temporal probability distributions: uniform distribution, sinusoidal distribution, and patient-specific distribution derived from the patient respiratory trace. Temporal probability, defined as the fraction of time a patient spends in each respiratory amplitude, was evaluated in nine lung cancer patients. Four-dimensional computed tomography (4D CT), along with deformable image registration, was used to compute 4D dose incorporating the patient's respiratory motion.

A computer aided treatment event recognition system in radiation therapy.

Purpose: To develop an automated system to safeguard radiation therapy treatments by analyzing electronic treatment records and reporting treatment events.

Methods: CATERS (Computer Aided Treatment Event Recognition System) was developed to detect treatment events by retrieving and analyzing electronic treatment records. CATERS is designed to make the treatment monitoring process more efficient by automating the search of the electronic record for possible deviations from physician's intention, such as logical inconsistencies as well as aberrant treatment parameters (e.

A real-time applicator position monitoring system for gynecologic intracavitary brachytherapy.

Purpose: To develop a real-time applicator position monitoring system (RAPS) for intracavitary brachytherapy using an infrared camera and reflective markers.

Methods: 3D image-guided brachytherapy requires high accuracy of applicator localization; however, applicator displacement can happen during patient transfer for imaging and treatment delivery. No continuous applicator position monitoring system is currently available.

High resolution (3 Tesla) MRI-guided conformal brachytherapy for cervical cancer: consequences of different high-risk CTV sizes.

Purpose: To evaluate conventional brachytherapy (BT) plans using dose-volume parameters and high resolution (3 Tesla) MRI datasets, and to quantify dosimetric benefits and limitations when MRI-guided, conformal BT (MRIG-CBT) plans are generated.

Material And Methods: Fifty-five clinical high-dose-rate BT plans from 14 cervical cancer patients were retrospectively studied. All conventional plans were created using MRI with titanium tandem-and-ovoid applicator (T&O) for delivery.

A real-time respiratory motion monitoring system using KINECT: proof of concept.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of a low-cost respiratory motion monitoring system based on the Microsoft KINECT sensor.

Methods: The authors increased KINECT's inherent depth resolution from 1 cm to 1 mm via a motion magnification system. Using the KINECT software development kit, the authors programmed the KINECT to capture depth images and determine the average depth over a thoracic region of interest, viewed almost parallel to the subject's surface.

High performance computing for deformable image registration: towards a new paradigm in adaptive radiotherapy.

The advent of readily available temporal imaging or time series volumetric (4D) imaging has become an indispensable component of treatment planning and adaptive radiotherapy (ART) at many radiotherapy centers. Deformable image registration (DIR) is also used in other areas of medical imaging, including motion corrected image reconstruction. Due to long computation time, clinical applications of DIR in radiation therapy and elsewhere have been limited and consequently relegated to offline analysis.